


Carol of the Bells

by perfect-porcelain (kathleenhasfeelsandwords)



Series: 12 Days of Oneshots [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 12 Days of Oneshots, Christmas, M/M, daddy!harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-14
Updated: 2012-12-14
Packaged: 2017-11-21 02:26:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/592412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathleenhasfeelsandwords/pseuds/perfect-porcelain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based a lot on <a href="http://lettersinsequence.tumblr.com/post/35257215670/luv-ya-for-no-reason">these</a> tags, Harry just wants to make sure his little girl is happy during Christmas but he never really expected help from a guy working as a Christmas elf in the mall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carol of the Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Daawe so cute!

“Daddy?”

“Yes baby?” Harry asks in a distracted voice.

“Can we go see Santa?”

“Not right now pumpkin.” Harry shakes his head and the little girl hovering near him pouts and crosses her arms but he doesn’t seem to notice. She looks around and then back at her daddy and then back at outside where she can just see the tips of Santa’s home just down from the store and slowly she backs up. Once she’s sure that she can get away without Harry seeing, she peels off towards the snow covered palace that she always imagined where Santa would live. 

She frowns at the line. She wants to see Santa now! Looking around again, she ducks under the rope in the back of the palace and bumps straight into a pair of legs.

“Woah!” The tall person says and she looks up guiltily. “What are you doing back here little one?” 

“Are you one of Santa’s elves?” She asks in awe and the elf is dressed in green tights and a green and red tunic with even the curly shoes.

“Yes I am.” The elf chuckles and she giggles. “Where’s your parents?”

She frowns at that. “Daddy wasn’t paying attention to me and I wanted to see Santa.” She looks up at him with an expression that always gets her daddy to do whatever she wants. “Can you take me to see Santa?”

The elf sighs and looks towards the chair that she can just barely see. “Okay come on.” He holds out his hand for her to take which she does happily and he leads her through the palace (which was a lot smaller than what she thought but that’s okay, it’s still Santa’s place). The elf tells her to wait off to the side and whispers something into Santa’s ear.

“Okay come here darling.” The elf motions for her to come forward and she’s practically shaking. Every year she’s asked her daddy to go to see Santa but ever since her mommy died he always forgets. The elf picks her up and sets her on Santa’s lap and he looks exactly like the pictures, beard and all.

“What’s your name?” Santa asks her.

“Katie.” She says with a wide smile.

“And how old are you Katie?”

“Six!”

“What a big girl! What do you want for Christmas?” 

“I just want for my daddy to be happy again. Can you do that Santa? He’s been so sad since Mommy died.” She frowns and Santa’s face falls for a moment but then he smiles.

“You know what Katie?”

“What Santa?”

“The best season of all is Christmas. I’m going to do my best to help your daddy.”

“Oh thank you!” She says happily and hugs onto him tightly. She hops down off of his lap.

“Merry Christmas Katie!” Santa waves to her and she waves back and then the elf holds his hand out to her.

“Let’s go find your daddy how’s that Katie?”

“Okay.” She nods and takes his hand and he leads her throughout the mall and she’s just happy that Santa is going to help her finally get her daddy to smile again.

“Katie!” She turns at the familiar sound of her father’s voice and he looks frantic but she just waves at him.

“Hi daddy!” 

He rushes up and brings her close to his chest in a tight hug when he bends down. “Don’t you ever leave me again you hear?” He scolds and she’s confused.

“But you wouldn’t take me to Santa.” She pouts and he’s too relived to be angry at her. It’s then that he notices a man hovering. 

“Who are you?” He glares and stands up straight. “Stay away from my daughter.”

“Woah, look I was just going to bring her to the information desk. She ran into me at Santa’s Palace and I was making sure that she found her father again.” The man holds up his hands in defense. Harry sizes him up and now that the mask of protective father crumbles away this guy is actually really cute in his stupid elf outfit complete with the shoes. 

“Oh.” He says. “Well thank you for that.”

Katie looks up at her dad and sees something in his eyes that she hasn’t seen since her mommy died but this isn’t right. This is a Christmas elf! And he has cooties too, at least she bets. 

“Of course, if you don’t mind I need to get back.” The elf nods to him but before he goes he kneels in front of Katie. “You stick with your dad from now on okay?”

“Are you going to help Santa make my wish come true?” She asks and the elf smiles and nods.

“I’ll try my best.” The elf looks up at Harry in a knowing way and Harry’s completely out of the loop but then the man’s walking away and Harry takes Katie’s hand.

“What did you wish for?”

“Nope! If you tell it won’t come true.” Katie grins happily at him.

“Oh come on, that’s only birthday wishes.” Harry whines and Katie rolls her little eyes. “I’ll make you hot chocolate when we get home if you tell me.”

“Well…” Katie trials off. 

“Hot chocolate with candy cane shavings on top?” Harry pouts and he knows he has his daughter wrapped around his finger.

“Okaaay.” She sighs. “But you have to come closer.” She beckons him so she can whisper in his ear. He gets on his knee and she wraps her tiny hands around his ear, pushing back his hair as she does so. “I asked Santa to make you happy again.”

*

Harry honestly didn’t know what to do anymore. After his wife had died only a year and a half ago, he was stuck being alone in the world with a daughter with no idea how to raise her on his own. Katie was his whole world though and he while he was lost sometimes, he would do anything for her. 

Perhaps that why it hurt a lot when she said the thing she wanted most in the world was for him to be happy. He remembered when he was a kid he would always ask for the newest toys and she didn’t want anything like that. Her selflessness was like a stab through the heart because while he had suffered, he sometimes forgot that she was the one missing her mother too.

“Did you like that elf?” Katie the next day when he’s driving her to school.

“What?”

“The Christmas elf! I saw how you were looking at him.” She shrugs and plays with her Barbie in the back seat and he looks at her in the rearview mirror.

“And how was that?” He chuckles.

“Like how you looked at mommy.” 

Harry swallows at thinks back to that incident at the mall and the man who brought Katie back to him. And then he thinks of how blue his eyes looked even while he was wearing green and how his hair framed his face perfectly.

“See you’re doing it again!” Katie leans forward and puts her head on the top of his seat. 

“Doing what?”

“Making that face.” She grins and he rolls his eyes as he pulls into the driveway for Katie’s school.

“Okay munchkin, see you at three!” He parks and turns in his seat and she leans up to give him a peck on the lips.

“Bye daddy!” She waves to him as she climbs out of the car and then stops and turns around. “I think you should go see him again.”

“We’ll see sweetheart.” She beams happily and then scampers off towards the front of the school and he waits until she disappears inside before he drives off. He’s already on vacation for work and honestly has nothing to do so he kind of just plans on driving around for a bit. His mind zones out and he goes on auto-pilot and finds himself back at the mall. 

“Dammit.” He curses under his breath because he can’t get Katie’s face beaming at him out of his mind and before he knows he it’s shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat and tromping up to the front of the mall and making his way back to the Santa place.

It’s just to thank the man properly he tells himself. 

“Oh hello again.” The man smiles at him and the speech he had prepared in his head goes out the window at the crinkle at the corners of those blue eyes.

“Um..hi.”

“You okay?” The man looks concerned. “You didn’t lose Katie again did you?”

“You remembered her name?”

“I’m pretty good with names. What’s yours?” 

“Harry.” He says before his mind catches up with him. “Oh that was smooth.”

“Another thing I’m good at. I’m Louis by the way.”

“Right. I was just…I was just here to thank you properly for getting Katie back to me.” Harry nods and makes a move to leave but Louis reaches out to grasp his arm.

“You don’t have to slinking off you know. I’m actually off in ten minutes.”

“I thought being a Christmas elf was a round the clock thing.”

“Santa gives us a break every now and then. You know, so we can mingle with the humans.” Louis winks and Harry chuckles. “Wait for me?”

“Yeah okay.” Because why not? It’s not like he’s got anything better to do.

*

“I really hate Christmas music.” Louis says. He’s changed out of his costume and is wearing regular clothes and even more beautiful. They’ve been chatting for a while in the food court and Harry is already enamored with him.

“You hate Christmas music yet you work in Santa’s palace as an elf.” Harry asks in slight disbelief.

“I just hate the music, not the holiday. And actually it’s just the new stuff. The oldies are the best.” Louis shrugs as he sits down across from him.

“So you’re not a Josh Groban fan?” Harry smirks

“Hm…” Louis has to think about that one. “Actually I don’t mind him. Let me rephrase my statement. I hate the pop music they play in the mall.” Louis nods and leans back into his chair. “What about you Harry?”

“I love Christmas.”

“Really?” Louis doesn’t seem convinced.

“If you’re talking about how Katie ran off then let me tell you that was one time. It’s just….hard.” He says softly and realizes he was just about to pour his heart to a stranger.

“Yeah I bet, being on your own with Katie.”

“Wait…how did you know I was on my own?” His eyes narrow.

“Oh um…” Louis stumbles over his words. “Katie might have told Santa and I might have overheard.” He blushes and looks down at his hands and Harry should feel angry but he can’t be mad at Louis for some reason. He just sighs and leans back into his chair, mimicking Louis.

“She died a year and a half ago.” He says softly and Louis looks up with that familiar look of sympathy in his eyes but while he’s gotten sick of that look, again he can’t be angry at Louis. “It was really rainy and she just lost control of the car and then I got a call in the middle of the night and then it was just Katie and I.” 

“I’m—“

“Don’t say you’re sorry because you don’t know me.” He snaps without thinking and Louis’s mouth shuts quickly. 

“Well then…” Louis says, obviously at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry this was a mistake.” Harry shakes his head and makes a move to leave but Louis gives him a panicked look.

“No, please don’t. I shouldn’t have prodded, it wasn’t my place.”

“It’s not your fault but I do need to go pick up Katie from school.” Harry shakes his head.

“Oh.” Louis looks crestfallen. “I guess I’ll see you around. Or not…”

Harry bites his lip but he really does need to go. He had lost track of time. “Yeah.” He says simply and then makes his way out of the food court and towards his car because what on earth is he doing? This isn’t him. He shouldn’t find a random Christmas mall elf attractive. Louis gives him a wave and then he’s going through the glass doors.

*

“Hi Daddy!” Katie says happily as she climbs into the car.

“Hey princess. Did you have a good day?” 

“Uh huh! We made glitter cards! See it’s all over me.” She giggles and he turns around quickly in his seat and sure enough there’s little shiny bits on her arms and even in her hair.

“Oh wonderful.” He says in an unamused tone.

“Did you go see the elf?”

“I did.” He nods.

“You did?!” She says in a surprised tone. 

“Why are you so shocked?” He says, amused.

“Because I didn’t think you would follow my instructions.”

“Well I did and his name is Louis.”

“Can we go see him again?” She pleads. “You looked really happy when you met him.”

He shifts in his seat. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“But Daddy!” Katie whines because she knows that her father is a sucker for when she whines.

“Maybe but you need to do your homework and we need to put up the Christmas tree tonight.”

“Okay…” She sighs loudly and Harry smiles to himself.

*

The first time he put up the tree without his wife he almost cried. Christmas had been her favorite season and Katie’s too but without her it didn’t feel right and Katie felt it as well. This would be their second year without her and it was getting better.

“You should have invited Louis.” Katie says as she hangs the homemade ornaments on the low hanging branches while Harry attempts to put the angel on the top without making the entire tree fall over.

“What’s with you and Louis?” He asks as he grunts, standing on his very tippy toes to shove the angel down.

“I just want you to be happy Daddy!” Katie shrugs as she goes to the box of ornaments for more to hang.

“And what makes you think I’m not happy with my special girl?” He frowns as he finally can step back and sighs when he sees the angel is lopsided.

“Daddy I know you miss Mommy and I do too, but don’t you think you should be happy like Mommy made you happy?” Katie stops and looks up at him with those big brown eyes that look just like her mother and he stops in his place. How can such a tiny little six year old have such knowledge about love? His face softens.

“I know princess. I just don’t know if I want anyone right now okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

*

The conversation replays in his head all night and before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s back at the mall and finds Louis once again in those green rights and curly shoes. His blue eyes instantly brighten as he stands there all nervous to the side.

“You came back.” Louis says softly and Harry nods.

“Are you…are you almost done? I wouldn’t mind talking with you.”

“Yeah I have about ten more minutes.”

“Okay.”

So he walks over to the fountain behind the set up for Santa and sits on one of the benches, waiting impatiently for Louis, the whole time slowly thinking that is a terrible idea.

“Hey.” Louis stands above him, still dressed in his costume.

“Walk with me?” Harry rises from his seat and Louis nods. They walk outside of the mall and just kind of stroll around the outside of it. “I hate to admit it when I’m wrong, but Katie was right. I haven’t been happy since my wife died and I know it’s been hard for the both of us but while Katie misses her, she’s a lot smarter than I am. She’s been able to move on while I haven’t.”

Louis is silent has he continues to speak.

“I’m not asking for anything from you if you don’t want it, but I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more Louis.” Harry stops walking and Louis stops next to him. “It’s strange how I feel attached to you for some reason.”

“I feel the same. I think I fell for you when I saw just how worried you were about Katie.”

Harry laughs. “You fell for me huh? Well isn’t that a cheesy line out of a movie.”

Louis chuckles and shrugs. “I think I’m a bit of a romantic I suppose.”

Harry smiles fondly and fiddles with his coat buttons. “Would you like to join us for Christmas?”

“Really?” Louis’s eyebrows shoot up.

“If you don’t have any plans of course.”

“Harry, I’m a Christmas elf in a mall, what makes you think I have plans?”

“Well I didn’t know.” He blushes slightly and Louis laughs.

“I’d love to join you.”

And Harry beams.

*

The Christmas music plays softly in the background (only the oldies of course) while Katie tears into her gifts with Louis and Harry watching from the couch. It’s not a ton of course and while the house isn’t bursting with noise of a loud family, it’s quaint and nice.

Once Katie’s done running her hands over her new toys she joins Louis and Harry on the couch, sitting in between them.

“Did you like your presents princess?” Harry asks, his cup of tea in his hand.

“Well duh. But I already got the best present of all.” She says and Harry looks at her confused and she grins, looking at Louis then back at her father. “You found someone to make you smile again.”

And Harry looks up at Louis who smiles shyly at Harry who smiles shyly back.

“Yes, I suppose I did.”

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://www.kathleenhasfeelsandwords.tumblr.com) as usual


End file.
